The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Growing up in the Flin Flon Minor Hockey system is part of the reason Reid Simpson loves the game so much. At the age of seven, Simpson laced up his skates and hit the ice. ÒI wasnÕt really all that good growing up, to be honest,Ó says the 36-year-old former NHL enforcer. ÒIt wasnÕt until I was 10 or 11 when I caught up to the other players.Ó Simpson attributes his success in his hockey career to a love of the game. ÒI really enjoyed just having fun and playing, and I really enjoyed the competition,Ó he says. Growing up in Flin Flon, Simpson experienced the short winter hours, but that didnÕt stop the future NHLer and his friends from being outside at all hours of the night playing hockey. ÒWe had a rink right outside my house and my dad put up a light because the City wouldnÕt, and we would have games all night long,Ó he recalls. ÒThe sun goes down at 4 p.m. and we wouldnÕt stop playing until midnight sometimes.Ó Simpson says they were out there having fun. ÒIt was more than just skating. It was getting out there with the whole neighbourhood and playing. And thatÕs where I learned about hockey and what it really takes.Ó Simpson brought his newfound passion for the game to minor hockey. ÒI think there was a couple of years when I was 12 or 13 and everything just got good really fast,Ó he says. Once he hit 15, the future Philadelphia Flyer was playing for the Junior Bombers when they needed a spare. Ò(Coach) Mel Pearson lived down the street from me and they were always having trouble getting players to come up here and they were always short. So he would ask me when I was in Bantam and Midget, ÔCan you come out and play, can you fill a spot?ÕÓ So Simpson joined the team. ÒI got to play with the 20 year olds when I was 15 and it was one of those things that was just fun. In a city like this, everything really evolves around it.Ó Along with helping out in a few home games, he was able to tour parts of Saskatchewan with the team. ÒI got the bug to have fun,Ó he says. ÒI really enjoyed it and that translated into a professional career, which I never dreamed about or thought would happen at that age.Ó Unlike many Canadian children, Simpson didnÕt grow up hoping to be in the NHL Ð he didnÕt think that far into the future. As he flew by the seat of his pants, the former Bomber spent two months in Vancouver before attending Paddy GinnellÕs camp in Northminster. ÒHe was running a team at the time and he said, ÔYou know you can come out and play for me.ÕÓ So Simpson did. ÒI played a couple of games in the BCJHL, but I mean, thatÕs far from here. The level was no better, so my thought process was, why not play (at) home? So I came home.Ó After being in Flin Flon for a little while, Simpson contacted a coach in Prince Albert and asked if he wanted him to come out to his camp. ÒIt turned out they didnÕt know who I was, but I made a big impact going and and the next thing I know, they are asking me to their own school.Ó Simpson says he Ònever looked backÓ once he was gone. ÒAt 19 I was drafted to Philadelphia and that was the next progression, and the next thing you know, you are doing well at that level and the NHL is saying ÔWe want you to play here now,ÕÓ he says. ÒIt was one of those things where I never thought past the next month, the next week or sometimes the next day. It just kept going and itÕs still kind of doing that after hockey,Ó he says. When he was suited up for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2004, Simpson was injured. ÒThey sent me down to the minors to get rehab and when I was doing rehab there, I got injured again. So I missed out on most of the season.Ó Simpson was unable to get back to the Penguins. ÒThe team was very poor and was cutting corners financially, so they didnÕt want to bring in players that were going to cost them money.Ó Just as Simpson was getting better, the NHL lockout of 2005 struck. He spent the lockout coaching minor teams, but when the lockout ended, he didnÕt feel very confident in getting another contract. ÒI had worked hard to get other contracts in prior years with Nashville and Pittsburgh, but it seemed like a hassle and I was begging. They would end up giving me a deal, but it was on their terms.Ó That didnÕt settle well with Simpson, so he took another route, but still with the game. As he was coaching the minor teams, he caught wind of a coaching job with the New York Islanders. ÒIt came down to a few players and I was the one of the last ones,Ó he says. ÒThen an offer came in Russia and they said you have 48 hours to decide.Ó With two big decisions on his plate, Simpson up and moved to Russia. Ò...I knew where it was and I knew what it was and I knew players who went there. And to be honest, I had heard really good things,Ó he says. So Simpson accepted the job. ÒIÕll take a chance,Ó he told them, Òand see what itÕs about and what the team is about.Ó The former Flin Flonner had two successful seasons coaching in Russia, and the organization wasnÕt ready to get rid of him. ÒThe way it works there, is that they like to keep their people close to them when they retire, so they basically made a job up for me to stay.Ó SimpsonÕs new job consisted of Òmanagement, coaching and hanging out with the manager when he wants you to,Ó he joked. ÒI really enjoyed it and they asked me to come back next year.Ó As for next year, though, he isnÕt one for planning ahead. Simpson says he will be playing with their senior hockey team, which is another part of his job. ÒThey take it (senior hockey) pretty seriously,Ó he says. ÒThey pay me to go play senior hockey there. ItÕs crazy to think they would, but there is so much financial backing with each team. ÒAnd some of the guys on the team donÕt do anything else. The guys are 35 and 36 years old and thatÕs their job Ð to play senior hockey.Ó See 'Beyond' on pg. Continued from pg. While it doesnÕt match up to an NHL paycheque, Simpson says Òfor them, itÕs good money. ÒI really really enjoy it. I enjoy every bit of it.Ó For Simpson, life does go further than the hockey rink these days. He is dabbling in the business world as he is building condos in Saskatoon as well as importing things like cars into Russia. ÒBut hockey has always been a central thing,Ó he notes. ÒAnd I always say, you have to be really good at what you are good at and then other things will follow.Ó Along with the love of the game, Simpson says itÕs also important to remember the people who helped you get where you are. ÒThat really goes a long way.Ó Simpson had support from day one as he left his home town to follow his unknown path into the NHL world. ÒI left town to play professional hockey and itÕs nice to see them around when I come home. It makes me feel grounded.Ó As Simpson has found himself on and with a number of teams in the past, he sees himself able to give advice to those who are looking to follow in his footsteps, or to those parents who are looking for their children to follow. ÒIÕve always said to people with seven or 15 year olds when they ask ÔWhat they can do to make our kid an NHL player.Õ ÒI tell them to just let them have fun. If they really like it, youÕll provide them with the opportunity for a career. You provide for them whatever you can.Ó Simpson says he sees a lot of parents with the dream for their children to be stars. ÒItÕs the parentÕs dreams for them to play in the NHL and I know in my heart they (the children) are never going to make it. They have to have fun. ÒThe bottom line is that it is hard, so enjoy it as much as you can.Ó Another mistake Simpson says he sees often are the parents who are planning their childÕs NHL career when he is 12. ÒYou are going to miss the boat,Ó he says. Aside from Russia, Chicago is where Simpson calls home these days, at least for the time being. Not playing the sport for a year has been a different experience. ÒWhen you are in it, itÕs your sole focus. Every day of your life consists of ÔWhat do I have to do to train and what do I have to do to get better?Õ ÒBut now that IÕve gotten out of that and taken the step to see every day, itÕs ÔWhat do I have to do to be better today?ÕÓ Simpson says thatÕs when other opportunities like importing come to light. ÒIÕve always looked at other people and how they worked and thatÕs not my thing,Ó he said, referring to an office job. ÒI like to have and work for myself. It takes the same dedication (as hockey) because there are days where you arenÕt being pushed by anyone and you arenÕt being told.Ó With that in mind, he has set a few goals for himself. ÒThis is what IÕm going to do today,Ó he says to himself every day. ÒAnd then I move to the next one.Ó Simpson spent years away from home traveling the world and playing for a number of teams, but he says he always enjoys coming home to Flin Flon for a visit. ÒIÕve been really fortunate to spend a lot of time with my son, and thatÕs one of those things that when you are working a regular job, you donÕt get those kinds of experiences.Ó Simpson returned home for the 75th Birthday Bash and says he got to do some of the important things, like picking clams and barbecuing them and spending all day on the lake. ÒIÕve seen a lot of frends..and went water skiing, which I havenÕt done in 10 years.Ó Simpson also hopes to make another trip back in August as he is having a cabin built in the area and would like to learn how to build one himself. Though itÕs tricky to do sometimes, Simpson tries to follow the success of his old team, the Bombers. ÒI heard they had a pretty good young coach in here last year that tried to implement some things that were really helping them be successful,Ó he said, referring to Mike Reagan. ÒI think the hardest part about being here is getting quality kids to come up here and play. The best quality kids always have offers. ÒIf you want your hockey team to be successful, you have to have quality kids. And once you have quality kids and a coach Ð like I hear they have Ð you can start going for success.Ó As always for Simpson, he still isnÕt planning too far into the future. ÒWhatÕs around the next corner, I canÕt say that sometimes. ÒIÕm just happy everything has worked out that way. Not that I had planned it, but good things keep happening.Ó
